1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording and/or reproducing apparatus having a loading device for moving record bearing medium guiding means to a predetermined position in response to movement of loading means which is movable for loading recording and/or reproducing means with a tape shaped record bearing medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The automatic loading device which is employed, for example, in a video cassette recorder (called VCR for short) is arranged as follows: In a tape loading, a loading post and a tape guide member, which are disposed behind the tape within a cassette, are first moved by the rotation of a loading ring in the loading direction. The tape is pulled out from the cassette by the movement of these members. The tape is thus wound around a tape guide drum on which a rotating head is mounted. The tape is placed on a fixed tape guide member. Signal recording or reproduction is performed by the rotating head when the tape is advanced under this condition.
In a tape unloading, a loading ring is rotated in an unloading direction. Then, the tape, which is put on the loading post and the tape guide member, is wound up by a reel which is arranged to be rotated by a driving motor. The unloading process includes a part in which the tape guide member moves to a great extent. When the tape guide member thus moves to a great extent, if the reel is rotated at a constant speed, the amount of tape to be wound up increases and becomes larger than an amount of tape that can be taken up by the reel. This results in a slackened state of a tape portion yet remaining to be taken up. Such a slack state of tape causes damage of the tape and a malfunction of the loading device.
To solve this problem, various methods are considered including a method in which: A reel base for rotating the reel is provided with a torque limiter device and the tape is taken up by rotating the reel base with the rotating speed of the reel base increased to cause a driving member to slip on the reel base, so that a larger amount of tape can be taken up on the reel. In another method, the rotating speed of a loading ring driving motor is arranged to be low from the beginning to prevent the tape from slackening during the tape unloading process. However, the former method necessitates complex arrangement while the latter requires an excessively long time for unloading the tape.
Further, in the tape loading, an excessive tension would be given to the tape in the event that the above-stated tape guide member happens to move to a great extent in the early stage of the tape loading process. Since, at the beginning of a tape loading process, the reel is in repose, if the tape is suddenly pulled under that condition, a large load is imposed on the tape by the mass of a reel and a roll of tape wound there-around. The excessive tension then tends to bring about undesirable results, such as elongation of the tape, etc.
This problem can be solved by lowering the rotating speed of the loading ring. In that event, however, a long period of time becomes necessary for loading.